Attitudes toward those on benefits disheartening.

[AWizardsSleeve]

I am chronically ill; I worked and paid in to the system for years before becoming too poorly to work. The condition I have causes crippling fatigue; it’s not tiredness, it’s debilitating, life limiting fatigue.

The recent announcement of the cost of living help for low income families has brought out the worst in people and frankly, makes me feel worthless. I’ve stopped reading the comments sections in the media as it makes me feel like trash.

From family and friends, I’ve had remarks such as: “I work hard for what I’ve got and there’s you being paid to watch TV”. Said in a lighthearted way of course

“It’s wrong how hard working people get nothing and those that don’t, get it all handed to them. Oh but I’m not talking about you.” Yes, you are.

“I know someone who has 4 missing limbs and they still have a job, why can’t you work?”. When I’ve tried to explain that fatigue can be a huge barrier to work, I get told about another inspirational person and if I really wanted to, I could.

My own sister threatened to report me for benefit fraud (jokingly of course) . I told her to go ahead as I have nothing to hide.

Family call me the ‘benefit expert’ and it’s so hurtful. I have never told them that I receive benefits but they assume and bring it up every time I see them.

I’ve lost any chance of a career and I spend my days in pain and exhausted. I dread the week as I’m so bored being stuck at home. I do also try to live life as I have children but heaven forbid if I take them on a day out, because it means I’m not truly unwell (they don’t understand the suffering I go through after).

I told my other sister I was being referred for more testing and she rolled her eyes and said “what’s wrong with you now?”. I rarely talk about my illness because family don’t understand it and are very unsupportive. I had to hold back tears and make an excuse to leave.

I cringe when doctors ask me about my occupation and I’m so embarrassed to say I don’t work. I hate this. I hate every second of it and the attitudes of people make it worse.

I’ve had to fight the system repeatedly in spite of medical evidence to get financial support. The fear of it being removed every few years and wondering how I will survive in old age keeps me awake at night.

Do people really believe people choose to live with this worry and the shame that comes with it? I feel so disheartened and upset today.

I think part of the problem is that a lot of people who do work also have serious disabilities and work full time. I've spent at least £1.2K on medical treatment (couldn't get treatment on the NHS) in the past 6 months, but was denied PIP explicitly because I work full time. Sometimes I've thought I'd be better off not working than struggling so much with it.

Sometimes I do feel a bit resentful that I pay a lot of tax for things I can't access (NHS treatment and PIP) while damaging my health further with long hours in a high stress job.

You need to appeal that. PIP is an in work benefit, it's nothing to do with employment status, did you do a mandatory reconsideration?

Blowing of steam? That makes it alright then

Posted too soon. Why is it some people are only to happy to be blowing off steam at the weaker members of society? The continual punching down. It needs to stop. Maybe those people who are begrudging sick and desperate people crumbs, should be looking upwards instead.

The poster you're responding to pointed out that some people are substantially less well off than those on benefits. That by default makes them 'weaker' in a conversation about money.

There are a lot of thick, bigoted people in the UK @AWizardsSleeve .😥

One big problem is the low wages paid to many people eg carers. I went to tribunal for disability benefits and won. I now have a higher income than the people who support me. It's wrong.
OP, it sounds like your family should stop saying such hurtful things to you.

But the op is not in a different country so your post is not relevant. If your child has a chronic illness and is entitled to disability benefits, you should claim them for his sake

The poster parroted the myth that low income working abled people are substantially less well off than people on disability benefits. Don’t act like their point is based in fact. Not when I’ve posted the U.K. statistics that prove it is a myth.

I can assure you that its just about impossible to claim benefits for illness or injury if you are faking it. You have to provide evidence and go through a thorough assessment.

A person with a mental health problem on minimum wage working full time hours is highly likely to be denied benefits. Meanwhile if they work part time they might be entitled to ESA, PIP, council tax help, social housing and some free treatments (dentist and optician). They're less likely to have daily travel costs.

It's not as straight forward as this thread makes it sound.

This was due in the main to criminal gangs taking advantage of the lack of checks for new uc claims during covid.

So you don't think there is anyone out there who fakes it for benefits? That every single claimant is genuine? That's a very naive point of view if so.

So you don't think there is anyone out there who fakes it for benefits? That every single claimant is genuine? That's a very naive point of view if so.

Some disability benefits are harder to claim than others to be honest. PIP I agree is difficult. I help a lot of older people to claim Attendance Allowance and to be honest I find it pretty easy to get and the same with children's DLA. I rarely hear of people getting turned down for Attendance Allowance and even when sometimes I think they wont get awarded it, they invariably do ! And then there are so many more who are desperately struggling and are too proud to claim it. I did a home visit on an elderly man last week. He could barely stand, lived in a house in a terrible state, had not had a bath in years as he couldn't get in to it etc yet had not claimed anything because he didn't think he was entitled. It is so heartbreaking sometimes to see people struggle like this. I think some older people have this idea that they are going to be seen as scroungers but Attendance allowance is easily awarded. And being awarded it can make people more likely to be entitled to thinks like pension credit also depending on their situation.

You’re comparing a person with a disability working FT to a person with a disability working PT by choice (not need).

That’s not the same as comparing the fully abled working FT to disabled who cannot work at all.

Yet my colleague ( with fibromyalgia) at work was awarded PIP first time. She actually increased her working hours to full time whilst in the process of claiming PIP. It doesn't seem to make sense how some people get awarded it without problems and others don't. She is always out, travels long distance holidays etc. I don't understand it.

This was due in the main to criminal gangs taking advantage of the lack of checks for new uc claims during covid
And Theron lies the problem, we are not discussing UC fraud. We are specifically discussing those benefits associated with disabilities. But we get lumped in with everyone else and it’s then a benefits fraud discussion about people who are gaming the system so most people must be especially those with a bad back. You can’t support people in receipt of disability benefits whilst banging on about how fraudulent the system is. Those gangs don’t get targeted by the general public, it’s us who are regarded as benefit scrounging scum due to the agenda being promulgated by you and others.

So you don't think there is anyone out there who fakes it for benefits? That every single claimant is genuine?

It doesn't matter. Proportionality is what matters. Right now, a greater amount of benefit money lies unclaimed than is lost through fraud. Bear in mind that 'fraud' also includes claims originally handled in error by the DWP, resulting in overpayments.

The aggression with which fraud (whether actual or otherwise) is pursued puts many people off claiming at all.

The majority of claims which come to court as a result of being denied are actually then deemed to have been wrongly denied. It is reasonable to assume that for every successful appeal, there are several cases where no appeal has been lodged because the process is made so punitively arduous.

The upshot is that the government is spending a fortune on chasing down a low number of genuine fraud cases while a larger number of genuine claims go unpaid or are challegned. It's a sledgehammer to crack a nut approach. And speaking as a tax payer who has never claimed anything but child benefit, I would rather that people get benefits unfairly than that people who are genuinely entitled do not get them at all. At the moment the system is such that the government will metaphorically shoot 100 people because they know between 1 and 3 of them are guilty. They also know the others have done no wrong. That should not be considered acceptable by anyone.

The issue of ridiculously low wages and insanely high housing and other costs is a separate one that needs addressing, but British people seem to want to vote for people who will make 'others' worse off rather than for people who genuinely want everyone to have a decent standard of living.

The majority of claims which come to court as a result of being denied are actually then deemed to have been wrongly denied. It is reasonable to assume that for every successful appeal, there are several cases where no appeal has been lodged because the process is made so punitively arduous.

Yes the rate of DWP decision overturn by tribunal bounces between 65% and 80%. These are so high, it means the system is broken. And there is significant attrition of claimants giving up after the initial rejection or mandatory reconsideration denial. I think there should be a set compensation amount that DWP has to pay for every tribunal decision that overturns a wrongful denial of disability benefits to compensate the claimant for the stress and emotional distress of appealing. If DWP had to pay a “fine” when they get it wrong, they wouldn’t have such a high error rate and would be less likely to wrongfully deny entitled claimants.

@Discovereads that is probably the only possible incentive that would stop the DWP from wilfully endorsing 'assessors' who routinely lie and ignore medical evidence.

It depends on the assessor. Mine asked me what one of my conditions was and decided it wasn't that bad. I got a diagnosis because it was causing me problems!

It was also obvious that she had no idea at all about my other conditions. There's no reason why, apparently I can't drive; I've just chosen not to. Very few people with my condition can legally drive and for us, it's far more complex than being able to read the number plate due to the way the condition presents itself.

She then called both my GP and ENT consultant liars.

I am social minded, definitely not right wing at all and don't vote Tory, but having known several women carry on fully claiming all they were due to as single parents and bringing in fully live in partners with decent full time jobs paying £30k plus I'm quite shocked at those who don't seem to get that they are ruining the situation for those in genuine need and causing doubt , even in non Daily Mail types like me. Even more alarming is they were upfront about it in general chit chat as if it's something we 'all' do .

@Crikeyalmighty and what does that have to do with disability benefits and claimants?
Or do you mean they're 'all the same'?
Did you ever consider it may be your social circle, the company you keep rather than society in general?

Back to the OP.
Too many people, who have no idea how low benefits actually are (rather than what the SUN/Express tells them) and have never been in a job centre, think there is this vast pool of skilled workers, lounging around on benefits, living the life of Riley.

the reality is long termed unemployed are in many case, unemployable in todays economy or need significant help.
Swissport are advertising for workers at various airports around the country, own transport, driving licence, referees & 5 years of checkable work & personal history that will enable them to be security cleared.... that rules out whole sections of the population.... oh and must be able to work 12 hr shifts..... and/or 6 on 3 off.

Similar would apply to many (so called unskilled) jobs.

Disability benefits are even harder to get, let alone live on.